Your divorce does not have to be contentious. If you and your ex-partner want to pursue an amicable divorce, you can do so with help from a collaborative divorce lawyer in Sandy, UT. Our legal team can help you avoid a courtroom battle while fairly dividing your shared property and parenting responsibilities.
Working with Brown Family Law allows you to maintain an organized divorce process that prioritizes strategy over conflict. Our legal team capitalizes on 150 years of combined experience in the state to help you navigate the emotional and legal complexities of your mutual divorce.
You can schedule a consultation with our divorce lawyers in Sandy today to learn more.
What Is a Collaborative Divorce?
You and your ex-partner can come to an equal and mutual decision to end your marriage. In doing so, you can commit to a collaborative divorce. Collaborative divorces allow you and your ex-partner to discuss how you want to proceed with the dissolution of your shared estate without presenting your concerns to a judge.
You can still work with a Sandy family lawyer, and you should if you want to ensure the decisions you make during this process are legally binding. However, in a collaborative divorce, your attorney doesn’t advocate for your right to a fair division of property or parenting rights in court. Instead, they will help you secure and sign a participation agreement.
A collaborative divorce’s participation agreement sees you and your ex-partner agree to:
- Maintain open and honest communication throughout your conversations about your shared property and parenting responsibilities.
- Respect one another throughout negotiations.
- Make a good faith effort to bring your negotiations to a conclusive end.
- Avoid going to court, if possible.
Get Clear Guidance for Your Divorce
What Is Utah’s Collaborative Law Act?
According to the Utah Uniform Collaborative Law Act, couples pursuing a divorce within the state have the opportunity to participate in a mutually driven process designed to bring their marriage to a close instead of appearing in court.
The law notes that the participation agreement is legally binding, which means there are legal remedies available to both partners if one fails to uphold the obligations to which they agree. Once two partners come to a satisfactory agreement, their marriage will be formally dissolved in the eyes of the state, though a judge must approve the final terms to dissolve the marriage.
Two partners must agree to participate in divorce conversations under this law. No one can be forced to participate in a collaborative divorce. Additionally, if a couple can’t come to a satisfactory agreement during the collaborative process, either party can terminate a collaborative divorce and pursue the dissolution of their marriage through traditional litigation.
A Calmer, Clearer Way Through Divorce
What Are the Benefits of a Collaborative Divorce?
When you participate in a collaborative divorce alongside our legal team, you address all of the same elements you would during traditional divorce litigation, including the division of your marital debts, your shared property, your investments, and other financial resources. You may also need to discuss spousal support, child custody, child support, and parenting time.
Fortunately, a collaborative divorce allows you to maintain more control over your divorce proceedings. You’re the one deciding how to divide your shared belongings and responsibilities, not a judge. You can also reach resolutions faster than you might if you went to trial.
What’s more, this process tends to be less expensive than traditional divorce litigation. It can also take less time and decrease the amount of stress you might otherwise experience when dissolving your marriage. We encourage you to discuss whether or not this process might suit you and your ex-partner with our Sandy, UT, collaborative divorce attorneys.
How Can a Sandy Collaborative Divorce Lawyer Help You?
If you want to move forward with a collaborative divorce, our Sandy attorneys can help you:
- Arrange negotiations with your ex-partner.
- Secure and sign a participation agreement outlining how you would like your divorce to proceed.
- Gather information about your finances, parenting time, and other assets.
- Participate in joint meetings, during which you can negotiate terms and focus on the problems you need to solve to move forward with your divorce.
- Connect with other professionals, including tax agents, child specialists, and financial planners, to discuss the logistics of asset division and parenting responsibilities.
- Present your conclusions to a judge for final approval.
You Can Start Working With Brown Family Law Today
Collaborative divorces are still emotionally difficult. However, these divorces tend to make it easier for separating couples to continue co-parenting their children or to maintain a civil relationship after they’ve moved on. Collaborative divorces can also save you and your ex-partner a lot of money in the long run.
If you want to explore whether or not a collaborative divorce might meet your and your ex-partner’s needs, you can book a case consultation with Brown Family Law today. Our conversations can highlight the benefits of this process while also giving you more information about the documentation you need to bring forward to kick the process off.
Contact our collaborative divorce lawyers in Sandy, UT, today to secure strategic and grounded representation during one of the most trying times of your life. We’ve been where you are, and we’re here for you.
